Motormouth From Ipoh – Malaysian Food & Travel

Breakfast @ Medan Selera Kampar, beside Kampar’s morning wet market

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Relaxing with a cuppa during working hours …

A short post first, more detailed posts later. We, the original Food Gang (me, KYT, TallGal & FCOE) embarked on a journey down south, covering 4 towns, in hopes of finishing the job within a day’s worth of work. Initially thinking of skipping breakfast due to time constraints, though I was hoping to pay the Kampar morning market food court a visit. =(

When it was Tall Gal and KYT’s turn to do some work, me and FCOE stole some precious time and in a flash, parked our car, and subsequently our butts (hehe) at a mamak restaurant in Tapah, right opposite the bus station, named Restoran Haji.

Roti Telur with Dhal Curry (RM1.80)

The shop covers 2 lots, with a small crowd chatting over breakfast (typical of residents in smaller towns to take things easy and enjoy life as we all should?). I requested for murtabak. None. Capati? None as well, though their menu stated otherwise on the wall. Only roti canai and telur. Oh well … Talk about options. Roti telur dua then.

Wrapped in a thin roti canai, the omelette was good enough, though paled in comparison to Penang’s Argyll Road‘s version. The addition of green chillies added some kick, though not spicy at all. =P Their dhal and curry was good, not of the diluted kind. By the time Tall Gal and KYT came over, we were nearly finished, thus they only managed a glass of Milo each. Muahaha ……..

Location : Restoran Haji opposite Tapah bus station, on a road parallel to Jalan Stesen where we had the Cendol Pulut previously.

This restaurant holds wedding functions way back then …

Then work took us to Bidor, a bigger town some 15km away. This time we did not visit Pun Chun, for every previous visit to Bidor, Pun Chun (famed for duck noodles, yam puffs) would be our spot for lunch. We went to a restaurant on the way to Sungkai, a famous name every Bidoran should recognize. Tien Tien Lai Seafood Restaurant.

Braised Yee Mee (RM4.50)

I practically grew up visiting Sungkai very often, as my late grandpa was from there. Therefore, the old trunk road from Ipoh to Sungkai has become quite a routine route for our family. Back then, whenever there is any wedding ceremony, or grandpa feels like treating the whole family, we would head to this restaurant in Bidor.

They serve economy rice during lunch, in addition to dai-chow style dishes, and individual meals. Still feeling bloated from breakfast in Tapah, we chose to order lightly, hehe, at least I think we did. I picked the yee mee (egg noodles) while all 3 of them chose Ginger and Onion Chicken Rice. Komplot ah?!

Ginger and Onion Chicken with rice (RM5)

The food was acceptable, and the portion was humongous. They do not skimp on the ingredients, that’s for sure. You can choose to sit inside with air-conditioning, OR outside and bask in the sun. The choice, was obvious for us, the spoiled lot. Haha ….

Location : Restoran Makanan Laut Tien Tien Lai @ No 1, Taman Kandiah, Jalan Sungkai, 35500 Bidor, Perak. Tel : 05-4342819

Til then …. wait for my Taiping post later 2nite, ya?

Departing a bit late, resulting in spoiled initial plan of having breakfast/lunch/teatime along the old trunk road from Ipoh-Tapah. Team? Me and KYT only. Chose the highway instead, and travelling was a chore as it was a very, very hot day.

Let’s move on to something joyful …. FOOD!

Cendol Pulut (RM1.50)

Located at a side lane off Jalan Stesen, this stall’s signboard caught our eyes (my fury eyes), as I’ve never tasted Cendol Pulut in my life, but astonishingly, KYT had!! How wrong was I to think he would avoid anything with santan. =P

Pathetic & empty looking arrangement huh?

The stall sells Nasi Lemak and Burgers as well. We ordered a bowl each of their signature dessert, Cendol Pulut, and they came in 2 BIG bowls, enough to be shared among 3 or 4. Not expecting much from such an empty stall, surprisingly the cendol tasted quite good, not too sweet, and not too much santan (coconut milk). And the inclusion of pulut (glutinous rice) into the mixture added texture, taste, and of course, pretty much filling. Hmm, but at only RM1.50/bowl, you do NOT get red beans, and the gula melaka is not as fragrant/tasty as the one used by Penang’s or Melaka’s cendol. But who’s complaining?

We searched high and low, but could not find the name of the shop

We picked up another kaki makan in Tapah, Miss Skoon, who works somewhere at the outskirts, on the way to Bidor. She drove us to a place she fondly refers to as “Riverfront”, right beside a mosque, by the riverside. (The water is murky, be thankful the stall is located a distance away from the bank)

Nasi Daging Merah (RM4.00)

They served economy rice,with plentiful of dishes, including ulam (raw vegetables) and grilled fish, as well as various masakan kampung. We chose to eat freshly cooked dishes, as from the menu on the wall, there were at least 10 types of Nasi Goreng and the likes, available for order.

Nasi Goreng USA (RM5.00)

KYT’s Nasi Daging Merah (beef in sweet and spicy sauce) came in quite a portion (rice and dish alike), but he commented the lack of taste, and the chewiness of the chunks of beef kind of spoiled the dish for him. My Nasi Goreng USA came with a fried egg on top, small prawns, LOTS of onions (yummy), and Daging Merah as well. On the contrary, I found the beef to be well marinated and cooked, and though some pieces were slightly chewy due to the veins, overall the portion was HUGE, and the rice was fried til fragrant and delicious. Or probably I LOVE caramelized onions no matter what they’re served with.

Nasi Goreng Paprik (RM5.50)

Skoon had some scares as the waiter/waitress kept serving the aforementioned beef dishes and claimed those were Nasi Paprik, when what Skoon ordered was in fact a CHICKEN dish. Luckily hers arrived just the way she wanted, Fried Rice with Ayam Paprik (Chicken, Prawns and Vegetables in spicy/sour sauce). Tried a piece, and the dish was tasty.

The price was pretty reasonable for the portion served, but be prepared for some wait in case you decide to order from the kitchen. The place was designed ‘half al fresco’, therefore brave the heat if you’re seated on the outer ends.

Location : Coming from the North-South Highway, towards Tapah town, you will pass by a bridge (Jambatan Batang Padang if I’m not mistaken), after turning left at the traffic lights at Shell petrol station. This shop/stall is located on the left, immediately after the bridge, beside the mosque.

Location : Cendol Pulut @ a side lane beside Hotel Utara on Jalan Stesen. To get to Jalan Stesen, drive further down the road after the bridge, and you will reach a traffic lights with a shop named Restoran Kai Fan on your right. Turn right into Jalan Stesen, and once you see Klinik Sentosa on your left, and Hotel Utara on your right, turn right into the small lane beside the hotel. The stall is situated at the lane itself.